Knight Commission & Family Online Safety Institute Talk
Renee Hobbs just gave this great talk about what is info literacy, digital literacy, news literacy. . .Why we need a plan of action to instill information literacy amongst our citizens!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
YOUmedia--It's about Teens & Youth & Libraries & TRANSLITERACY!
To experience this example of transliteracy training all YOU need is a Chicago Public Library Card! YOUmedia is an innovative, 21st century teen learning space housed at the Chicago Public Library's downtown Harold Washington Library Center. YOUmedia was created to connect young adults, books, media, mentors, and institutions throughout the city of Chicago in one dynamic space designed to inspire collaboration and creativity.
High school age teens engaging with YOUmedia can access thousands of books, over 100 laptop and desktop computers, and a variety of media creation tools and software, all of which allow them to stretch their imaginations and their digital media skills. By working both in teams and individually, teens have an opportunity to engage in projects that promote critical thinking, creativity, and skill-building.
Mentors from Digital Youth Network as well as Chicago Public Library librarians lead workshops to help teens build their skills and create digital artifacts – from songs to videos to photography to blogging. Teens learn how to use a variety of technology and digital equipment, including still and video cameras, drawing tablets, and video and photo editing software. YOUmedia also provides an in-house recording studio featuring keyboards, turntables, and a mixing board.
All high school age teenagers are welcome, and the YOUmedia technology is available for free with a valid Chicago Public Library card. Now, let me hear you say TRANSLITERACY! That's what these teens are learning--how to navigate across all information technologies! Maybe now they'll break it all down for Mom & Dad!
High school age teens engaging with YOUmedia can access thousands of books, over 100 laptop and desktop computers, and a variety of media creation tools and software, all of which allow them to stretch their imaginations and their digital media skills. By working both in teams and individually, teens have an opportunity to engage in projects that promote critical thinking, creativity, and skill-building.
Mentors from Digital Youth Network as well as Chicago Public Library librarians lead workshops to help teens build their skills and create digital artifacts – from songs to videos to photography to blogging. Teens learn how to use a variety of technology and digital equipment, including still and video cameras, drawing tablets, and video and photo editing software. YOUmedia also provides an in-house recording studio featuring keyboards, turntables, and a mixing board.
All high school age teenagers are welcome, and the YOUmedia technology is available for free with a valid Chicago Public Library card. Now, let me hear you say TRANSLITERACY! That's what these teens are learning--how to navigate across all information technologies! Maybe now they'll break it all down for Mom & Dad!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Do You Know About Gigablast? The Green Search Engine?
Well, if you don't check it out and play around with it!
You can search the directory of categories or just type in a phrase like library innovations and see what comes up. I found this fascinating link by searching creating library buildings:
Gigablast, located in New Mexico, calls itself the Green Search Engine. Gigablast as 90% of its power comes from wind energy, using PNM's Sky Blue energy program, thus only using a miniscule 13 amps of coal power. How cool is that!
Gigablast also makes it easy to perform your query on the coal-based search engines by clicking links below the search results. So try them, and if you don't find what you want, click the others, which use millions of coal and oil-based amps.
In the world of search engines, and there are many many more than GOOGLE, search technology underlies the engine's power. One great example of this is the use of Gigablast by a Meta Search Engine appropriately called, Mamma, as in "ask yo Mamma!" Go on, ask her!
You can search the directory of categories or just type in a phrase like library innovations and see what comes up. I found this fascinating link by searching creating library buildings:
Gigablast, located in New Mexico, calls itself the Green Search Engine. Gigablast as 90% of its power comes from wind energy, using PNM's Sky Blue energy program, thus only using a miniscule 13 amps of coal power. How cool is that!
Gigablast also makes it easy to perform your query on the coal-based search engines by clicking links below the search results. So try them, and if you don't find what you want, click the others, which use millions of coal and oil-based amps.
In the world of search engines, and there are many many more than GOOGLE, search technology underlies the engine's power. One great example of this is the use of Gigablast by a Meta Search Engine appropriately called, Mamma, as in "ask yo Mamma!" Go on, ask her!
I Love My Librarian, The Award!
What better way to say how much your public library means to you! Nominate your librarian for the third year of the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award!
Nominations for 2010 stay open through September 20. Nominate your favorite librarian at our own eminently love-able Belmont Public Library!
There are nearly 123,000 libraries nationwide, and librarians touch the lives of the people they serve every day. The award encourages library users like you to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians. We want to hear how you think your librarian is improving the lives of the people in your school, campus or community.
Up to ten winners will be selected this year and receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and $500 travel stipend to attend an awards reception in New York hosted by The New York Times. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner’s library.
The award is administered by the American Library Association with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York and The New York Times.
You can read about the 2009 winners here.
Nominations for 2010 stay open through September 20. Nominate your favorite librarian at our own eminently love-able Belmont Public Library!
There are nearly 123,000 libraries nationwide, and librarians touch the lives of the people they serve every day. The award encourages library users like you to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians. We want to hear how you think your librarian is improving the lives of the people in your school, campus or community.
Up to ten winners will be selected this year and receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and $500 travel stipend to attend an awards reception in New York hosted by The New York Times. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner’s library.
The award is administered by the American Library Association with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York and The New York Times.
You can read about the 2009 winners here.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Librarians on the Cutting Edge -- Business Development
Most library users think librarians are the nice folks handing out books and reference advice; some folks haven't quite gotten over the staid, prim librarian image: pencil in bun, hush puppies, and that shushing finger. Sure it's as funny as blonde jokes! But actually, librarians, cybrarians, knowledge managers, informationistas, are an acutely savvy bunch. We embrace innovation! We're constantly exploring & embracing ways to use information, resources and develop services while harnessing the newest enabling technologies to deliver them. Ask a librarian what Transliteracy is he/she can tell you! Ask what Semantic Search is and you'll get an answer and a demonstration. . .We stay on top of the techno world and translate into new services and new ways to deliver information to ALL segments of the community!
Check out what this article says about public libraries as business incubators! Public Libraries as Business Incubators
Check out what this article says about public libraries as business incubators! Public Libraries as Business Incubators
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Globetrotting Librarians on a Shanachie Tour
The two Dutch librarians who travel the world discussing library innovation and related topics, Erik Boekesteijn and Jaap van de Geer, are the focus of a new book about their 2007 trip across America.
Boekesteijn and van de Geer were in New Zealand just last month on their current tour that's taken them to about 10 countries, including Jamaica, Canada, France and Australia. Perhaps we can invite them to visit Belmont on their next tour! They're well known to librarians across America where they traveled 4 years ago in the tradition of Irish shanachies or storytellers – sharing and collecting stories about best practices in libraries, particularly in technology, in return for food and lodging.
Both work for nine months of the year at the coolest library anywhere, the Library Concept Center (DOK) in Delft, Netherlands
Mr van de Geer says their library is a pioneer in adopting new tools and technology to bring historic information to life and create new stories.
A multi-touch application at DOK lets patrons place their library cards on a screen, which reads their zip code and shows them pictures of their street and area from the local photo archives, and patrons visiting exhibitions can create and contribute their own stories on the topic in text, audio and video.
Although digital content will proliferate, the pair say bricks and mortar libraries will remain invaluable as venues for meeting and sharing ideas.
Mr Boekesteijn says DOK could team up with Hyves, a hugely popular Dutch social networking site, to link its patrons' Hyves profiles to the library's profiles so DOK could connect patrons with common interests and encourage them to meet in the library. Mr van de Geer says libraries need to prepare themselves for the e-reading revolution.
Their book ShanachieTour: A Library Road Trip Across America and the accompanying DVD documents a tour of libraries around United States that Boekesteijn, van de Geer and Geert van den Boogaard took in 2007.
The book includes original blog entries from the trip, insights from library professionals, and vivid color photographs of libraries, their staffs, patrons, and environs. An entertaining one-hour “road movie” on DVD brings the trip to life, featuring conversations with innovative librarians and educators from east to west.
With its infectiously upbeat outsider’s view of American libraries and the many challenges they face, this book and video set is sure to galvanize librarians of all stripes. Shanachie Tour is a heartfelt love letter to American libraries: informative, inspirational—and a whole lot of fun!
Boekesteijn and van de Geer were in New Zealand just last month on their current tour that's taken them to about 10 countries, including Jamaica, Canada, France and Australia. Perhaps we can invite them to visit Belmont on their next tour! They're well known to librarians across America where they traveled 4 years ago in the tradition of Irish shanachies or storytellers – sharing and collecting stories about best practices in libraries, particularly in technology, in return for food and lodging.
Both work for nine months of the year at the coolest library anywhere, the Library Concept Center (DOK) in Delft, Netherlands
Mr van de Geer says their library is a pioneer in adopting new tools and technology to bring historic information to life and create new stories.
A multi-touch application at DOK lets patrons place their library cards on a screen, which reads their zip code and shows them pictures of their street and area from the local photo archives, and patrons visiting exhibitions can create and contribute their own stories on the topic in text, audio and video.
Although digital content will proliferate, the pair say bricks and mortar libraries will remain invaluable as venues for meeting and sharing ideas.
Mr Boekesteijn says DOK could team up with Hyves, a hugely popular Dutch social networking site, to link its patrons' Hyves profiles to the library's profiles so DOK could connect patrons with common interests and encourage them to meet in the library. Mr van de Geer says libraries need to prepare themselves for the e-reading revolution.
Their book ShanachieTour: A Library Road Trip Across America and the accompanying DVD documents a tour of libraries around United States that Boekesteijn, van de Geer and Geert van den Boogaard took in 2007.
The book includes original blog entries from the trip, insights from library professionals, and vivid color photographs of libraries, their staffs, patrons, and environs. An entertaining one-hour “road movie” on DVD brings the trip to life, featuring conversations with innovative librarians and educators from east to west.
With its infectiously upbeat outsider’s view of American libraries and the many challenges they face, this book and video set is sure to galvanize librarians of all stripes. Shanachie Tour is a heartfelt love letter to American libraries: informative, inspirational—and a whole lot of fun!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
What are Information Literacy Skills? Why do you need them?
So what is Information Literacy?
Information literacy is the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand. Like: am I eligible for a mortgage re-structure, what do I need to do to open a small business, how do I find out if my weed killer is toxic, is there a foundation that supports people from Azerbaijan, plus, there's all those BHS theses research projects?
Knowing there's a need is the easy part, it's the rest that stumps many of us--where to start, how to identify the right information, how to keep track of it--where do I store it--how to store it, cite it, and then effectively use/apply that information.
In principle, the school librarians from K to 12 would be teaching classes on Info Literacy with the Belmont Public Library teaching it to the adults in our community--from Town Hall to the DPW to the guy trying to clear the weeds from his backyard--we all have information needs Alas, Belmont's 2 school librarians are tasked with so many responsibilities, that this important work can't happen. The case is the same in the public library. I think it's time to search for some grant monies to see if we can address these needs.
Check out the Information Literacy Blog for lots of interesting strategies and examples of how librarians are helping the cause for info literacy: http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/
American Library Association's Presidential Committee on Information Literacy reports from their summit on info literacy that "library, and business leaders stated that no other change in American society has offered greater challenges than the emergence of the Information Age. Information is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and enormously rapid strides are being made in technology for storing, organizing, and accessing the ever-growing tidal wave of information." If the library gave some information literacy classes would you come?
Information literacy is the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand. Like: am I eligible for a mortgage re-structure, what do I need to do to open a small business, how do I find out if my weed killer is toxic, is there a foundation that supports people from Azerbaijan, plus, there's all those BHS theses research projects?
Knowing there's a need is the easy part, it's the rest that stumps many of us--where to start, how to identify the right information, how to keep track of it--where do I store it--how to store it, cite it, and then effectively use/apply that information.
In principle, the school librarians from K to 12 would be teaching classes on Info Literacy with the Belmont Public Library teaching it to the adults in our community--from Town Hall to the DPW to the guy trying to clear the weeds from his backyard--we all have information needs Alas, Belmont's 2 school librarians are tasked with so many responsibilities, that this important work can't happen. The case is the same in the public library. I think it's time to search for some grant monies to see if we can address these needs.
Check out the Information Literacy Blog for lots of interesting strategies and examples of how librarians are helping the cause for info literacy: http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/
American Library Association's Presidential Committee on Information Literacy reports from their summit on info literacy that "library, and business leaders stated that no other change in American society has offered greater challenges than the emergence of the Information Age. Information is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and enormously rapid strides are being made in technology for storing, organizing, and accessing the ever-growing tidal wave of information." If the library gave some information literacy classes would you come?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Belmont has a whole new website! Emily Smith shows it off!
The long awaited re-design of our Belmont Public Library website goes live today! Emily Smith, the library's techno maven takes you on a video tour of the new site.
Thanks to our wonderful Friends of the Belmont Library we now have a beautiful and easy to use website. Take it for a spin and see for yourself!
Thanks to our wonderful Friends of the Belmont Library we now have a beautiful and easy to use website. Take it for a spin and see for yourself!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Digital Access Challenges Facing Public Libraries 2010
A new 2009-2010 study from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Library Association is just out. Libraries continue to expand their digital services while facing budget cuts and shortened operating hours. Sadly, it sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Some evidence from the study that surveyed public libraries:
* 67 percent of libraries say they're the only provider of free public access computers and Internet in their communities.
* 15 percent of libraries report reduced operating hours. More than 55 percent of urban libraries report funding cuts.
* 89 percent of libraries provide technology training, including skills, software and job-seeking training.
* 82 percent of libraries provide Wi-Fi access.
A "Key findings" summary of the report (in PDF form) is available here.
Some evidence from the study that surveyed public libraries:
* 67 percent of libraries say they're the only provider of free public access computers and Internet in their communities.
* 15 percent of libraries report reduced operating hours. More than 55 percent of urban libraries report funding cuts.
* 89 percent of libraries provide technology training, including skills, software and job-seeking training.
* 82 percent of libraries provide Wi-Fi access.
A "Key findings" summary of the report (in PDF form) is available here.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Most Modern Public Library in the World!
The most modern, and clearly coolest, library in the world is in Delft, Netherlands. It's called DOK. Also called the Library Concept Center you can check it out via the link above and the Shifted Librarian's Blog post about her 2008 trip there. Imagine sitting in those Listening Chairs! In another article about DOK by Erik Boekesteijn who's a librarian there describes DOK's mission to become and remain the most advanced library in the world. Using creativity, technical innovation, and advancing scientific understanding, DOK endeavors to be an indispensable source of inspiration for its members, visitors, and partners in the city of Delft, in the Netherlands, and in the world. In this way, DOK hopes to safeguard access to the independent, objective, free flow of information that is essential for democracy now and in the future.
DOK came up with new services and better ways to present the library to their community. For instance, Tank U is a download station that uses Bluetooth. Content that DOK librarians select, such as a library magazine, an agenda of activities, or an audio book, can be installed onto these Tank stations. Think of the promotional possibilities when you place the Tank U in railway stations, hospitals, cinemas, theaters, and so on. People with Bluetooth applications on their cell phones can download content to their phones and play it on the train and all over the city.
Post a comment and share your library services and design wishes!
DOK came up with new services and better ways to present the library to their community. For instance, Tank U is a download station that uses Bluetooth. Content that DOK librarians select, such as a library magazine, an agenda of activities, or an audio book, can be installed onto these Tank stations. Think of the promotional possibilities when you place the Tank U in railway stations, hospitals, cinemas, theaters, and so on. People with Bluetooth applications on their cell phones can download content to their phones and play it on the train and all over the city.
Post a comment and share your library services and design wishes!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Want to know what the experts are thinking about libraries--their services, buildings, and futures??
This brief excerpt comes from the Council on Library and Information Resources report, Rethinking Libraries: Rethinking Space, Rethinking Roles.
Reinventing the Library—Technology as Catalyst
"With the emergence and integration of information technology, many predicted that the library would become obsolete. Once students had the option of using their computers anywhere on campus—in their residence halls, at the local cyber café, or under a shady tree in the quad—why would they need to go to the library? Those charged with guiding the future of a college or university demanded that this question be answered before they committed any additional funding to perpetuate the “library”—a facility that many decision makers often considered little more than a warehouse for an outmoded medium for communication or scholarship. Many asserted that the virtual library would replace the physical library. The library as a place would no longer be a critical component of an academic institution.
While information technology has not replaced print media, and is not expected to do so in the foreseeable future, it has nonetheless had an astonishing and quite unanticipated impact on the role of the library. Contrary to the predictions of diminishing use and eventual obsolescence of libraries, usage has expanded dramatically—sometimes doubling or even tripling. These increases are particularly common at libraries and institutions that have worked with their architects and planners to anticipate the full impact of the integration of new information technologies throughout their facilities."
In Belmont, where school libraries are dwindling into pretty rooms with books, the Belmont Public library is actually the central point where new and emerging information technologies merge with knowledge resources in a user-focused, service-rich environment capable of supporting Belmontians in today’s knowledge work; along with the emerging and traditional learning, teaching, and research needs of the entire community from tradesmen to business to town hall.
The Informationista
This brief excerpt comes from the Council on Library and Information Resources report, Rethinking Libraries: Rethinking Space, Rethinking Roles.
Reinventing the Library—Technology as Catalyst
"With the emergence and integration of information technology, many predicted that the library would become obsolete. Once students had the option of using their computers anywhere on campus—in their residence halls, at the local cyber café, or under a shady tree in the quad—why would they need to go to the library? Those charged with guiding the future of a college or university demanded that this question be answered before they committed any additional funding to perpetuate the “library”—a facility that many decision makers often considered little more than a warehouse for an outmoded medium for communication or scholarship. Many asserted that the virtual library would replace the physical library. The library as a place would no longer be a critical component of an academic institution.
While information technology has not replaced print media, and is not expected to do so in the foreseeable future, it has nonetheless had an astonishing and quite unanticipated impact on the role of the library. Contrary to the predictions of diminishing use and eventual obsolescence of libraries, usage has expanded dramatically—sometimes doubling or even tripling. These increases are particularly common at libraries and institutions that have worked with their architects and planners to anticipate the full impact of the integration of new information technologies throughout their facilities."
In Belmont, where school libraries are dwindling into pretty rooms with books, the Belmont Public library is actually the central point where new and emerging information technologies merge with knowledge resources in a user-focused, service-rich environment capable of supporting Belmontians in today’s knowledge work; along with the emerging and traditional learning, teaching, and research needs of the entire community from tradesmen to business to town hall.
The Informationista
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